Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Cyclemys turtles belong to the family Geoemydidae under the subfamily Geoemydinae. They were first described in 1834 by the English zoologist, Thomas Bell, in his work A Monograph of the Testudinata. Cyclemys and closely related genera (Cuora, Pyxidea, and Notochelys), are believed to have diverged from a common Heosemys-like ancestor.
Cyclemys taxonomy and phylogeny has been historically difficult to ascertain due to the morphological similarity between species, as well as changes in the color patterns during growth. Until recently it was thought that the genus comprised only one or two morphologically variable species,C. dentata and C. oldhamii. Subsequent investigation has now put the number of species under the genus to seven, though this remains controversial. The status of C. enigmatica as a valid species is contested, as is the recognition of C. atripons and C. pulchristiata, both of which are nearly impossible to tell apart morphologically.
Previously recognized species, C. tcheponensis ( = C. tiannanensis) and C. shanensis, have been merged into C. oldhamii following mtDNA sequencing. The conclusions of which showed that the morphological differences between them (the presence of absence of neck/head stripes, and hatchling color patterns) were not enough to classify them as separate species. C. ovata has been similarly subsumed into C. dentata.
There are two distinct morphological differences between Cyclemys species based on the main color of their plastron - species with yellow bellies (C. atripons, C. dentata, and C. pulchristiata), and species with dark bellies (C. enigmatica, C. fusca, C. gemeli, and C. oldhamii).
Synonyms of Cyclemys (ex errore) include: Cyclemus, Cyclemis, and Cyclemy .
The generic name Cyclemys comes from Greek κύκλος (meaning 'round' or 'circle', referring to the shape of the carapace) and εμύς ('freshwater turtle'). They are known under the common name Asian leaf turtles or simply leaf turtles, again because of the appearance of their carapace. They share the collective name 'leaf turtles' with turtles of the genus Geoemyda, as well as turtles with 'leaf' in their names like the Annam leaf turtle (Mauremys annamensis), among others. 'Asian leaf turtle' is also the specific common name of C. dentata.
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